Well, Anna’s internet was working all fine and dandy yesterday, but I had other online stuff to get done which is why I did not write. Oh well. I’m here now so that’s all that really matters!
So, the dust has settled somewhat with regards to the proposal. I’m touched by the amount of congratulatory note I received from various people. From the looks of things, it’s going to be a pretty fun and amazing wedding and reception. There will be a lot of planning involved between now and the big day, but we do have time on our side.
On Friday, Anna and her students spent time in Creston for a Vocal Jazz festival and they had a good time. Anna was a little concerned about her students, but overall she felt that they did fine. I went up to Ames for the play, “To Kill A Mockingbird” which is the classic by Harper Lee. The troupe that performed came from Montana, but they were really good. It was a very good play and I was reminded of certain parts of the story that I had forgotten after reading the book. This week, we’ll be watching the musical Legally Blonde and that should be laugh out loud funny. We can’t wait for that.
After work on Saturday, we drove down to Creston once again so I could listen to this vocal group from Sweden called, “The Real Group”. Now if you are ever interested in listening to a group that’s all about using their vocal chords, this would be the group. We are all familiar with Manhattan Transfer and they are pretty good, but some feel that they are past their prime. The Real Group is very similar yet extremely contemporary. The way they sang and created music was out of this world. The concert definitely was a once in a lifetime experience. More importantly, the students who were part of the festival got to experience the group and loved them. I’m so glad Anna got me a ticket for the performance. She even bought a DVD and I’m sure we’ll be watching it one of these days just to be mesmerized by them. On our way back from Creston, we called chay and it was nice to chat on the phone with her. I’m glad Anna got to talk to her too. Too bad Ram was out golfing. He would have been able to chat with Anna too if he was around. There will be other opportunities in the future, I’m sure of it.
That’s pretty much how the weekend went for me. Nothing else too exciting to share with all of you.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wedding Engagement
Well, the big news that all of you know now is that I’m engaged! Yay. I popped the questions to Anna yesterday between our entrée course and dessert.
I have been trying to come up with an idea for a wedding proposal for some time and after toying with a number of ideas, decided to go with something simple and not too outlandish. When we went to Joel and Kathy’s for dinner in November, Anna saw a Vermont Teddy Bear that Kathy had and fell in love with it. At the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to incorporate the bear into the engagement. So, through the wonder of websites, I ordered the bear online and on the right paw had them engrave her name and yesterday’s date. The deal with Vermont Teddy Bears is that the bears are all hand made in Vermont and it’s top notch quality bears. They also come with a lifetime warranty so if for some reason some were to come off, all you need to do is send the bear back and they will try their best to rehabilitate the bear or just make a new one. I also got a sash that said, “Will You Marry Me?”
There were a number of restaurants to choose from, but for logistic purposes, I needed a restaurant where I could leave to get the wrapped present without Anna suspecting anything. That’s the reason Flemings was chosen. It also helps that we both love Flemings. I called the restaurant and spoke to the general manager just to make sure things were A OK on their end and he assured me it would be fine.
My plan was to slip out of the restaurant between the entrée and dessert course and grab the bear from the trunk which is what I did. The present was left at the hostess’ table and she motioned to have the server deliver the present to Anna. When the present was delivered, Anna pretty much knew something was up and as soon as she saw the sash, she said yes. So technically, she said yes to the bear and not to me!
After she lifted the bear from the box, I told her that the bear was missing one thing and that was when I went down on one knee and proposed using her full name which I thought was neat. Her answer was yes, of course. By then, the staff at the restaurant were all looking to see how things were going to take place and once she said yes, they clapped. A number of staff congratulated Anna and the female staff asked to see her ring. They all thought it was stunning. She managed to catch her breath and finished dessert. On the drive home, she called her parents and sisters. The rest as they say is history.
It helped that I had the day off from work because I met up with Sr. Carola for breakfast and we chatted for a couple of hours. That definitely calmed my nerves. I was supposed to drop by Ann’s office, but over the weekend she had car trouble so she did not make it into work. Ann was pretty bummed about it.
Looking back, I know I had butterflies in my stomach yet at the same time, Anna commented that I was not all fidgety so she really did not know I was going to propose. She had an inkling because I was pretty insistent on going out to dinner for our four month anniversary AND the fact that I made dinner reservations for a Monday evening. Oh well, I guess I could not really surprised her all the way.
Now, the fun of planning a wedding begins. She’s going to be pretty busy this week with a choir festival this weekend, but I’m sure we’ll be talking quite a lot in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned!
Be happy for me, that’s all I can ask of you!
I have been trying to come up with an idea for a wedding proposal for some time and after toying with a number of ideas, decided to go with something simple and not too outlandish. When we went to Joel and Kathy’s for dinner in November, Anna saw a Vermont Teddy Bear that Kathy had and fell in love with it. At the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to incorporate the bear into the engagement. So, through the wonder of websites, I ordered the bear online and on the right paw had them engrave her name and yesterday’s date. The deal with Vermont Teddy Bears is that the bears are all hand made in Vermont and it’s top notch quality bears. They also come with a lifetime warranty so if for some reason some were to come off, all you need to do is send the bear back and they will try their best to rehabilitate the bear or just make a new one. I also got a sash that said, “Will You Marry Me?”
There were a number of restaurants to choose from, but for logistic purposes, I needed a restaurant where I could leave to get the wrapped present without Anna suspecting anything. That’s the reason Flemings was chosen. It also helps that we both love Flemings. I called the restaurant and spoke to the general manager just to make sure things were A OK on their end and he assured me it would be fine.
My plan was to slip out of the restaurant between the entrée and dessert course and grab the bear from the trunk which is what I did. The present was left at the hostess’ table and she motioned to have the server deliver the present to Anna. When the present was delivered, Anna pretty much knew something was up and as soon as she saw the sash, she said yes. So technically, she said yes to the bear and not to me!
After she lifted the bear from the box, I told her that the bear was missing one thing and that was when I went down on one knee and proposed using her full name which I thought was neat. Her answer was yes, of course. By then, the staff at the restaurant were all looking to see how things were going to take place and once she said yes, they clapped. A number of staff congratulated Anna and the female staff asked to see her ring. They all thought it was stunning. She managed to catch her breath and finished dessert. On the drive home, she called her parents and sisters. The rest as they say is history.
It helped that I had the day off from work because I met up with Sr. Carola for breakfast and we chatted for a couple of hours. That definitely calmed my nerves. I was supposed to drop by Ann’s office, but over the weekend she had car trouble so she did not make it into work. Ann was pretty bummed about it.
Looking back, I know I had butterflies in my stomach yet at the same time, Anna commented that I was not all fidgety so she really did not know I was going to propose. She had an inkling because I was pretty insistent on going out to dinner for our four month anniversary AND the fact that I made dinner reservations for a Monday evening. Oh well, I guess I could not really surprised her all the way.
Now, the fun of planning a wedding begins. She’s going to be pretty busy this week with a choir festival this weekend, but I’m sure we’ll be talking quite a lot in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned!
Be happy for me, that’s all I can ask of you!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Peking Acrobats
It was a very nice and pleasant week/weekend for me. On Monday, Anna and I had dinner with Kevin and Martha. They’ve been meaning to have us over for quite some time, but due to our busy schedules, we’ve not been able to find the time. Finally, Monday worked out for all of us and it was such a pleasant evening. Both Kevin and Martha got to know Anna better and it was nice to see her interact with a family that is so very near and dear to my heart. Kevin prepared dinner and it was sinfully good yet very simple. We all loved it. I brought a bottle of wine that complemented the meal very well. Everyone had a very good time.
We had a staff meeting at the facility on Thursday and all of us were introduced to the new administrator. I’ve seen her somewhere before and I just can’t seem to put a finger on it. One of the comments she made the really grabbed our attention was when she asked all the staff to write down their current work schedule because there’s a very strong possibility that all of us will be changing our schedules. Well, I guess we’ll find out how that goes. I’m reserving my comments for the time being. There’s no point in doing anything drastic just yet. I’m just going to wait and see how things play out.
Anna’s sister, Gretchen and her boyfriend, Travis were in town for the weekend. We met up with them for dinner at the Drake Diner prior to the basketball game. They had invited a couple Travis knew from college to join us at dinner and the game. It was a great time just chatting and catching up with one another. The basketball game itself was pretty sloppy, but Drake grinded out a win which was important to say the least. After the game, we went to Peggy’s which is the Drake bar. All my years at Drake I probably made it there once if not twice. I never really liked it because it was really smoky, small, and they only served beer. Now that smoking is not allowed in bars, it definitely made for a better experience and they even have mix drinks which made the visit a good one. We were definitely in the minority due to our age because most of the people at Peggy were college kids and I would say probably half of them were not of age. Hey, I guess if you have a good fake ID, it’ll get you in. After Peggy’s, we went back to the hotel bar where Gretchen and Travis were staying for a couple of night caps. All in all, we had a great time and I had forgotten how much fun Travis can be especially when he has some alcohol in him.
Sunday would definitely be the highlight of my week. Our group sang at Mass and Kyle, who is the music and liturgy director sang next to me. He’s my age and we had a good time singing. He mentioned that it was nice to just stand at the back and sing and not worry about the music since most of the time, it’s his responsibility to plan the music and arrange for singers and musicians. After Mass, I drove up to Ames for the Peking Acrobats performance. My oh my, talk about a jaw dropping performance by one of the most elite acrobatic troupes in the world. The first half was pretty good, but after the intermission, they definitely did not hold back. Some of the acts they performed defied human acts. I kept telling myself that there was no way any human being is capable of doing what they did yet, they always seemed to make it bigger and better. The crowd was extremely enthusiastic to say the least and cheered a ton of times. One act that just blew my mind was when this guy climbed a number of chairs that was balanced on four champagne bottles up at least four-storey high. These were pretty simple wooden chair and how he managed to stack it all, maintained his balance and just reached the top was out of this world. It was mesmerizing to say the very least. I do have to say that it was one of the most spectacular shows I’ve ever seen in my life.
So, that’s the week that was. This weekend is Valentine’s Day weekend and the only thing Anna and I will be doing is going out for dinner at an Italian restaurant where she has a gift certificate. Nothing else has been planned. She knows I’m definitely anti-Valentine’s Day and has not been pushing to do something special. We will be going out for dinner on Monday since it’ll be our four month anniversary, but I made it known to her that it’s not going to be a Valentine’s celebration, but more our anniversary celebration.
That’s all the news from me. I hope you have a good week ahead.
We had a staff meeting at the facility on Thursday and all of us were introduced to the new administrator. I’ve seen her somewhere before and I just can’t seem to put a finger on it. One of the comments she made the really grabbed our attention was when she asked all the staff to write down their current work schedule because there’s a very strong possibility that all of us will be changing our schedules. Well, I guess we’ll find out how that goes. I’m reserving my comments for the time being. There’s no point in doing anything drastic just yet. I’m just going to wait and see how things play out.
Anna’s sister, Gretchen and her boyfriend, Travis were in town for the weekend. We met up with them for dinner at the Drake Diner prior to the basketball game. They had invited a couple Travis knew from college to join us at dinner and the game. It was a great time just chatting and catching up with one another. The basketball game itself was pretty sloppy, but Drake grinded out a win which was important to say the least. After the game, we went to Peggy’s which is the Drake bar. All my years at Drake I probably made it there once if not twice. I never really liked it because it was really smoky, small, and they only served beer. Now that smoking is not allowed in bars, it definitely made for a better experience and they even have mix drinks which made the visit a good one. We were definitely in the minority due to our age because most of the people at Peggy were college kids and I would say probably half of them were not of age. Hey, I guess if you have a good fake ID, it’ll get you in. After Peggy’s, we went back to the hotel bar where Gretchen and Travis were staying for a couple of night caps. All in all, we had a great time and I had forgotten how much fun Travis can be especially when he has some alcohol in him.
Sunday would definitely be the highlight of my week. Our group sang at Mass and Kyle, who is the music and liturgy director sang next to me. He’s my age and we had a good time singing. He mentioned that it was nice to just stand at the back and sing and not worry about the music since most of the time, it’s his responsibility to plan the music and arrange for singers and musicians. After Mass, I drove up to Ames for the Peking Acrobats performance. My oh my, talk about a jaw dropping performance by one of the most elite acrobatic troupes in the world. The first half was pretty good, but after the intermission, they definitely did not hold back. Some of the acts they performed defied human acts. I kept telling myself that there was no way any human being is capable of doing what they did yet, they always seemed to make it bigger and better. The crowd was extremely enthusiastic to say the least and cheered a ton of times. One act that just blew my mind was when this guy climbed a number of chairs that was balanced on four champagne bottles up at least four-storey high. These were pretty simple wooden chair and how he managed to stack it all, maintained his balance and just reached the top was out of this world. It was mesmerizing to say the very least. I do have to say that it was one of the most spectacular shows I’ve ever seen in my life.
So, that’s the week that was. This weekend is Valentine’s Day weekend and the only thing Anna and I will be doing is going out for dinner at an Italian restaurant where she has a gift certificate. Nothing else has been planned. She knows I’m definitely anti-Valentine’s Day and has not been pushing to do something special. We will be going out for dinner on Monday since it’ll be our four month anniversary, but I made it known to her that it’s not going to be a Valentine’s celebration, but more our anniversary celebration.
That’s all the news from me. I hope you have a good week ahead.
Monday, February 2, 2009
A good movie to catch.
Well, CNY was pretty low key for me. Anna and I went to a Thai restaurant for dinner and it was good. The location of the restaurant is close to her place and it’s actually part of a family of restaurants which I like. The food was more than good and we both had our fair share of stuff to eat. She kind of joked that it’s not Chinese food and I told her I can’t think of a good Chinese restaurant to go to so Thai would be as close as I could get!
We watched the movie, “Slumdog Millionaire” on Saturday and trust me, it was a very good movie to watch. I can see how it garnered a number of Oscar nominations. If you get a chance, definitely go see it. There’s something really endearing about the movie. It also helps that it’s an independent movie. What stuck out to me about the movie is how gritty it was an you definitely got a glimpse of India.
Later that evening, we went to the DM Symphony performance and talk about a great concert. The pianist did a marvelous job and overall the symphony stepped up to the plate. I agree wholeheartedly with the comments written by the reviewer in the paper yesterday. He was spot on.
Apart from those two events, nothing too much happened with me. This evening, Anna and I will be having dinner with Kevin and Martha. We’ve been looking to spend an evening together so finally, we’re able to do that. On Thursday, the young adults will have dinner at a nice contemporary Chinese restaurant called Café Su. It’s some really good food at the right price. I took the day off from the facility this Sunday so I can drive up to Ames to watch the Peking Acrobats who will be performing there. Now, that should be a pretty darn amazing performance to say the least.
That’s all the news from me. Till next week.
We watched the movie, “Slumdog Millionaire” on Saturday and trust me, it was a very good movie to watch. I can see how it garnered a number of Oscar nominations. If you get a chance, definitely go see it. There’s something really endearing about the movie. It also helps that it’s an independent movie. What stuck out to me about the movie is how gritty it was an you definitely got a glimpse of India.
Later that evening, we went to the DM Symphony performance and talk about a great concert. The pianist did a marvelous job and overall the symphony stepped up to the plate. I agree wholeheartedly with the comments written by the reviewer in the paper yesterday. He was spot on.
Apart from those two events, nothing too much happened with me. This evening, Anna and I will be having dinner with Kevin and Martha. We’ve been looking to spend an evening together so finally, we’re able to do that. On Thursday, the young adults will have dinner at a nice contemporary Chinese restaurant called Café Su. It’s some really good food at the right price. I took the day off from the facility this Sunday so I can drive up to Ames to watch the Peking Acrobats who will be performing there. Now, that should be a pretty darn amazing performance to say the least.
That’s all the news from me. Till next week.
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